Entries in kidney cancer
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Rest in Peace, Big Guy.I can’t remember the first time that I met Al, or the first time we drove together on a new car launch. That has been lost to time. However, my first memory of the man dates back to a GM Christmas party, held in the lobby of its new engineering building, where we were watching a video produced to commemorate the retirement of Steven Harris, GM’s head of global PR. It was late 2003, I think, and Al played Harris as a man who had sold his soul to Satan to get the top job. The premise of the film was to see whether those in line for the job would similarly sell their souls to get the corner office. The video was funny, and Al played the part with a subtle malevolence that made you think he had done the Devil’s deal. Steve Harris capped his short speech with a sarcastic, “I can die in peace knowing that I have been so sympathetically portrayed by Al Vinikour.” Across the room, you could see Al beaming.

Not long after, I was attending a vehicle launch and needed a driving partner. My usual go-to pair, Tom Lankard and Ann Job, were attending and driving together, and the list of attendees the PR folks had so graciously sent me ahead of time didn’t look promising. That’s when I spotted Al’s name on the list. A quick e-mail asked if he was available. Unfortunately, Al already had “a date” as he put it, but he steered me to a safe alternative. On the trip, I was invited to join Al’s group at dinner, and we became fast friends.